Aubrey Shaw
Addie Deal and Emilee Skinner are two of the 2025 classes best guards. *Photos by Chris Hansen.
Yesterday marked the big spring update in the ProspectsNation.com ELITE 150 rankings for the 2025 class. The top 60 are ranked numerically and the balance of the 150 will continue to be updated and expanded on throughout the summer.
Coming out of the spring, Managing Editor Chris Hansen and Publisher Brandon Clay offer their High Fives – five players they are high on coming out of the spring club season, regardless of the numerical ranking.
Clay’s High Five
The adage of defense travelling is very true. For Chavez, she’s one of the rare cases where both defense and offense travel. In an era where elite perimeter scoring is truly at a premium, Chavez is one of the best at the high school level in recent memory. She has the whole arsenal in her offensive bag. Whether it’s creating off the dribble to score, finding a teammate on the kick corner 3-pointer or making a 3-pointer of her own, Chavez can make whatever play is needed to get a bucket. The nation’s No. 1 ranked rising senior does it with a flare that few can match putting me in the mind of current WNBA starter, Kelsey Mitchell during her prep days.
Deal was slowed down the back half of the school season with an ankle injury that took the better part of four months to heal properly. That has slowed her down some to start the club season but Deal’s tireless work ethic and dedication to improving have her high on my list. She’s been to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis and San Francisco to train with our staff. The nation’s No. 7 ranked senior, Deal’s approach to the game will endear her to the Iowa Hawkeye faithful will she arrives in Iowa City. She has the size, skill and game to be effective at any of the three perimeter spots and might be well served as a bigger off guard in college. Time will tell on her collegiate position but one thing is for certain, the opposition will have to work the graveyard shift on a nightly basis to outwork Deal.
Hjelmstad keeps improving with every evaluation. Whether it’s in a training session with our staff or with her UNITY club team, Hjelmstad has been on a steady ascent with her game. The most encouraging piece of the future Utah Ute’s progress is Hjelmstad diversifying her production. In addition to possessing one of the nation’s premier outside shots, she’s finishing offensive rebound putbacks and contesting slashers on the defensive end. Those little aspects of Hjelmstad’s game will become more and more important on a daily basis once she arrives in Salt Lake City next summer.
Like Hjelmstad, Makalusky has shown the ability to keep the opposing defense spaced out to the 23-24 foot line with her shooting prowess. Makalusky has the combination of length and shot-making ability to be a real threat for Indiana in the ultra-competitive Big Ten. Before she gets there, look for Makalusky to keep working on adding physical strength to play through contact on both ends of the hardwood. Attending the same high school and playing for the same club coach as current Hoosier starter, Sydney Parrish, gives Makalusky a leg up in her preparation. Maya’s bloodline is strong as well as her sister, Riley, is coming off of an All Big East Freshman Team selection at Butler this past season.
Fresh off of a USA Basketball 18-and-Under Trials invite, Shaw has proven herself to be one of the better prospects in the middle third of America. She is a true specialist with the skill set to be a major factor in the game regardless of whether it’s from five feet or 24. As Shaw continues to grow into her size, the sky is the limit for her production. Watching PJ Washington making one kickout 3-pointer after another for the Dallas Mavericks is a glimpse of where Shaw’s game can head long term. Shaw has been a consistent fixture on the hardwood with our training staff every time that we are in Kansas City.
Hansen’s High Five
Anyone who has coached the game should have a special place in their hearts for elite players who find easy scoring opportunities. The finish may seem easy but the skill of finding or creating them is what makes Davidson special. She may be the best in the class at playing at speed, reminiscent of Seattle Storm point guard Kiana Williams, but at 6-2. The pace and consistency of Davidson’s play allows her to take charge or complement other elite players. It’s no surprise she was selected for the USA U18 National Team. She’s a player that her fit in college will come down to what she wants not what she can or can’t do.
Skinner is back at full health after a lingering high school season injury slowed her start to the Spring. She went back-to-back weekends in May, at adidas 3SSB Session II and USA U17 National Team trials, playing at a very high level and assuring she’s 100 percent. Her toughness and physicality is not for show, she thrives contact and has terrific body control, even under duress. In transition she’s a handful because she can change speeds subtly and quickly to finish but can make all the kickout and dump off passes you can hope for. We’re high on her because she can play any of the three perimeter positions and be impactful.
After a roller coaster 2023 campaign, limited by a couple of injuries, Knox is back and in a big way. She’s a matchup problem now and that shouldn’t change in college. Her size and athleticism have always impressed and its really turned into impressive production. She’s finishing nearly 55-percent from inside the 3-point arc now while being a rebounding machine in EYBL play. That final frontier, shooting the three, seems to be coming. She’s knocking down corner threes off of BLOB’s and ball reversals. She hit what would be a game-winner against AL Southern Starz that required confidence. As that grows she’ll be lethal in the pick-and-pop game because you have to drop or plug on the roll.
If you’re sensing a trend here of injury redemption, here’s another one – Brynn McGaughy. This small town kid from Colfax, Washington was one of the biggest risers last spring and early summer before dislocating her ankle. Now fully recovered and getting to see the game from the sideline her understanding of the game is catching up with her bounce and instincts. She’s getting fouled a lot and converting at a high level from the charity stripe. Her game is ascending as her game develops. The travel circuit and getting to go to USA U18 trials are huge for a kid from a wheat farming town of less than 2,800 people. There’s a lot of upside here.
While most middle schoolers are playing in tournaments every weekend and with their trainers getting ballhandling and finishing reps, Harris was working on her serve and backhand, a budding tennis prodigy. Then in the Fall of 2021, she left tennis behind and started on the path of being a hooper. Fast forward to the spring of 2024 and its looking like a great decision. Her athleticism and balance translated and you can now catch her posting up smaller guards and driving past big wings and really exploiting mismatches. She’s flying around and making plays and we’re interested to see where these next few years take her as the experience gap is all but gone.
Brandon Clay serves as the Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The BrandonClayScouting.com Evaluation Report, which is read by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves as the Executive Skills Director for the Brandon Clay Scouting Academy Series.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@chrishansenbasketball.com.
